Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Code Name Hélène
Author: Ariel Lawhon 
Release Date: 3.31.20
Publisher: Doubleday

This book is based on the life of Nancy Wake, an Australian expat who worked as a reporter for Hearst in Paris just before WWII and later as a spy for the British. Lawhon throws readers into the middle of the action, as Nancy, under the alias Hélène, prepares to parachute from an RAF plane into France to help the Resistance in 1944, carrying in her head memorized lists of vital data, including bridges targeted for destruction and safe house addresses. After she lands, the story flashes back eight years, as Nancy struggles for respect and recognition as a journalist; despite her firsthand observations of Nazi brutality in 1930s Vienna, her editor is reluctant to publish a story about what she's seen. Frequent jumps in time draw out the arc of Wake's remarkable life; despite her statement early on that women's weapons of warfare were limited to "silk stockings and red lipstick," by the end she's proven herself skillful at physical combat as well.


My Review:

I have absolutely loved all of Ariel Lawhon's previous novels and I am lucky enough to have chatted with her a few times at book signings and events. I kept "saving" Code Name Hélène to read and somehow it kept getting pushed back on my reading list. I have finally gotten to it and dare I say...it's her best work yet! I mean, reading about her research experience (included at the end of the book) was as exciting as the novel itself. Yes, Nancy Wake is a legendary and fascinating person but the sheer talent required to present her story so vividly is absolutely mind-boggling. 

Australian expat Nancy Wake lied her way into a freelance journalism position with Hearst in Paris and one of her first assignments was to interview the new German chancellor, Adolf Hitler. Shocking? Yes, but that is really just a tiny blip on the radar for Nancy Wake's eye-popping life story. After Germany invades France, Nancy goes on to become a female British operative who obtained weapons and supplies from England for the Maquis, an anti-Nazi outlaw group. She jumped out of planes into enemy occupied countryside, performed insane feats of human endurance, and lead dozens of nail-biting missions. In short...she was badass! 

Additional note: Lawhon gives Nancy one of my favorite quotes of all time: "Mine is level of fury that requires two coats of lipstick and a fully loaded revolver." Like, I said...badass.